Rabbit "stifado"

 

Rabbit "stifado": an enticingly aromatic and delicious traditional Greek dish

                                                                                                      by Eirini Voulgari

"Stifado" can be made with either hare or rabbit, or with beef and is quite reminiscent of beef bourguignon, the traditional French dish. Both dishes have a rich tomato sauce flavored with spices and lots of caramelized onions. A key to their success is to saute the meat well on very high heat so that it forms a caramelized crust on the outside that will hold its juices inside when the liquids are added. From a chemical point of view, what happens during sauteing the meat is the Maillard reaction; it gives the meat a grilled taste, in addition to shielding it so that its juices do not escape into the rest of the food, in which case it would taste like boiled meat.

Ingredients for cooking:

• 1 rabbit (appr. 1.5 kgr)
• 1/2 cup of coffee red wine vinegar
• 1 kgr pearl onions 
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1.5 kgr of fresh ripe tomatoes
• 1 cup olive oil
• 4 to 6 bay leaves
• 4 whole dry allspice berries
• 2 large cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• some whole black peppercorns
• salt and pepper

Ingredients for the marinade:

• 1/2 cup of tea red wine vinegar
• 1 cup of tea cold water
• some bay leaves

Marinate the rabbit the evening before you plan to cook it:

1. Wash the rabbit well and dry it. Then cut it into portions. 

2. Prepare the marinade in a plastic container which has a tight-fitting lid by mixing the water with the vinegar and the bay leaves. 

3. Then place the meat inside the container and bathe each portion with the marinade. 

4. Cover the container with its lid and put it in the fridge.

Preparation:

You can peel the onions and the garlic cloves the night before so that they will be ready to use the next day. You can also peel the tomatoes and either strain them by hand with a colander or blend them with an electric blender. Put the tomato juice in a plastic container, cover it with its lid and put it in the fridge.

Cooking:

1. Drain the rabbit portions from the marinade in a colander.

2. Season the portions with salt and pepper. Put a large, deep skillet or a pot with a large base on fire. Add the oil. When the oil starts sizzling place each meat portion in the pot at a distance from one another with tongs. When the meat is caramelized on the bottom side, turn it over so that it will get a crust on the other side, too. Then remove the sauteed meat portions from the pot with tongs and place them on a large dish. Continue the same procedure with the rest of the meat portions. 

3. After sauteing all the meat portions and putting it on a large plate, lower the heat to medium and put the onions in the pot. Simmer them gently stirring from time to time, until they get a honey like hue. Finally remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate.

4. Remove the pot from the fire.

5. Pour half a coffee cup of vinegar into the pot and scrape its bottom with a wooden spatula to deglaze.

6. Put the sauteed portions of the rabbit in the pot and the onions in between them. Add the garlic cloves (whole), bay leaves, allspice, cinnamon sticks, black peppercorns and cloves.

7. Bring two glasses of water to boil in a kettle and pour it in the pot.

8. Put the pot back on the fire on high heat. When it starts boiling reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot with the lid. Let the food boil until it is partly cooked. Check every now and then to make sure it has enough water so that it does not get burnt. Add some water if needed. 

9. When the meat is partly cooked, add the tomato juice and increase the heat. When it starts boiling reduce the heat to medium and let it complete its cooking.

10. Continue stewing on low heat until the meat is soft and can easily be separated from the bone and is left only with its sauce, without any other liquids.

11. Serve "stifado" hot with mashed or fried potatoes, freshly baked sourdough bread and good wine.

Useful tips: 

• Don't stir the food with a spoon during cooking. Just shake the pot every 5 minutes or so, so that the food doesn't stick to the bottom.
• Fresh tomatoes can be replaced with either canned tomatoes or with tomato paste.